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Help from MSU's 2000 champs 'means a lot' to this team

EAST LANSING – The players' memories are hazy, which makes sense considering they were 6 or younger when Tom Izzo's 1999-2000 team beat Florida in Indianapolis for the national championship.

Michigan State senior guard Bryn Forbes remembers Mateen Cleaves suffering an ankle injury. Senior guard Denzel Valentine recalls driving around East Lansing with his family that night, April 3, 2000, to watch people celebrating. Senior center Matt Costello didn't watch it. His family was in the process of moving.

But they're plenty familiar with the team because Cleaves, Morris Peterson, Andre Hutson, Charlie Bell and others have been around and have talked to them from time to time. Cleaves talks often with Valentine, and Forbes said Cleaves and Peterson send him motivational texts.

On Saturday, these No. 1 Spartans (10-0) will play in front of those Spartans, because MSU is honoring the 1999-2000 team in tandem with Florida (6-2) visiting Breslin Center (6 p.m., ESPN2).

"It's crazy, it being 15 years later now and everybody coming back," Costello said. "We've had conversations with all the players, and it just means a lot, all the support and love they show us. We've got to play well for them Saturday."

Director of basketball operations David Thomas, a member of that team, has worked to get everyone together for the reunion. The only definite no-shows are Al Anagonye and Adam Ballinger, both of whom are playing professionally overseas.

"I look at it every day, you know?" Izzo said of remembering his only title team and one of his seven to reach the Final Four. "I look at the three Final Fours (from 1999 to 2001). I look at the four Big Ten championships that that group produced. I look at my bank book. I figure I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. I look at a lot of things.

"I have an incredible appreciation for how they sustained just a grinding, athletic, fast-breaking (style), tough defense, you know? They kind of stood for everything the program's been built on. It's gone up and down a little bit because you get different players, but I think what it does for me is, it reminded me how you've got to play just a little bit different style now. You can't quite be as bruising as they were. But we've got to be probably more bruising than we've been."

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe. Download our new Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!